The Tarot phone

The Hanged Man by SannArt
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This expressionistic ink drawing is an almost nightmarish version of tarot's Hanged Man card. Placed brilliantly in an iPhone 4 case, seems to tell a story of life and death. The skeletal figure is affecting and dramatic. The artist is Fabio Sanna, a graphic designer and illustrator, whose bold and vivid style has a dark undertone that suits my taste!

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Strolling skull

The Stroll by ChaostheRed

A strange skeleton-like creature, wearing a top hat, boots and something that resembles a tuxedo, strolls through this marvelously weird raglan shirt. This design, originally an ink drawing on watercolor paper, is one of the humorous dark characters of Chaos the Red, a store with horror and fantasy artwork -often funny, in their own way. Great shirt!

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Wish you were in hell with us

Wish You Were Here... by Inmate93
More Penderghastasuylum Postcards

This is an ill-boding and sinister postcard, designed for occult lovers, horror fans and -of course!- Howard Phillips Lovecraft aficionados. It's part of the artwork created by Inmate93 for his Penderghast Asylum project that spawned many interesting dark and lovecraftian ideas (including the stupendous "F'tagh'n, Y'all" motto!).
It's macabre, eerie and so creepy you can almost hear the sound of crawling tentacles and disappearing sanity. Well, my beloved and weird readers, what else do you want?

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Grim Reaper, upgraded

Reaper 3.0 by ShazJustice
Browse Zazzle for another teezazzle.com

With strange aeons even death may get up-to-date. Shaz Justice sees to it and offers this ringer shirt with a darkly humorous cartoon of a new and improved Charon. The design belongs to her "Lighter side of Dark" series: gothic art that doesn't take itself too seriously and brings a smile to your face.
Her characters range from cute to hilarious -or both, as this Reaper 3.0 comes to prove. I just love his golden scull necklace, and I can't help but noticing the downsizing that took place, considering that the traditional Reaper was depicted as much taller. It looks like Death jumped on the "efficiency and sustainability" bandwagon!

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All deck, no color

Stan by RAWdesigns
create skateboard decks at zazzle.com

I recently found these wonderful skateboard decks and I couldn't wait to write about them! They are almost monochromatic (apart from a slight yellow tint on Stan and a blue one on Angel). Both are true works of art: odd, dark, gritty, moody and so well-balanced in their design that they grasp your attention at first sight.

The first one is from RAW Designs (RAW standing for Ryan Anthony Wolper, a new designer from Maryland) and the one below is from 3131 Theory (aka B. Hayden Arban and Patrice Vandehey, Texan artists and designers). Their stores offer real treasures and they certainly deserve your attention!

 
Angel by 3131theory
Buy skateboard decks at zazzle.com

I should note that all decks on Zazzle.com can also be ordered complete, with Independent Trucks, Ricta Naturals wheels, Bullet bearings, grip tape, and mounting hardware.

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Woodoo hoodoo

Woodoo Monkey by exitman
Browse more Woodoo T-Shirts

This cartoon totemic character is the creation of Exitman, a French artist whose style is a powerful mixture of voodoo imagery, graffiti stylization, urban edge and ethnic elements. Mysticism and cool design combined in a monkey "voodoo child".

Little Black Magic Rabbit by exitman
View more Lapin T-Shirts

This one pictures a Black Magic Rabbit, in a colorful explosion in red that many apparel designers would envy. There are amazing t-shirts in this store and I'm sure I'll be coming back for more!

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The ghost in the machine

Freaky by tnmpastperfect
Browse other iphone designs

A pretty face, serious and intense. Most probably, belonging to a woman who paid Charon's fare a long time ago. On a dark, solemn background.
What on earth made TnM Past Perfect's MarShelle to make an iPad case out of this one? I may never find the answer but I tell you this, folks: I love it! It's dark, it's beautiful, it's weird and reminds me of yesteryear's séances. This case will enshroud your precious gadget with a gothic aura and her eyes will leave those around you speechless.

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Season's darkness

Dark Christmas by mmargot
Browse more Mmargot Cards

The yellow bird may sing for joy and peace on Earth, but the overall feeling of this Christmas card is miles away from the usual splurge. It doesn't make you uneasy (at least not me!) but this weird collage makes a darker, ironic statement about holidays. Plus, the design is absolutely great.

days like this by mmargot
Browse other Mmargot Cards

The next card is more abstract -and equally amazing. Seasonal or not, the art you'll find at PhDilettante Designs is unusual and striking, with a touch of dadaism to spice things up.

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Killville city limits

"OVERCOME WITH LONELY" by killville
Learn how to sell art online at zazzle.com.

The recent Bad Taste post left me thinking about the dark and grisly side of life -and death. A side traveled by some strange, interesting folks that create art that's not easily accepted by the masses. The Surreality Watch believes that masses can be very bland and celebrates great artwork such as this bold poster found at Killville.

"MY SWEET ANODYNE" by killville
Learn how to sell art online at zazzle.com

Angry Johnny, the artist behind Killville, draws feverish, violent and darkly humorous tales of murder, insanity, loneliness and pain. And he does it astonishingly well!

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House of nightmares

house by serpentandangel
See other artwork at zazzle.com

Today's selection is dark, intense and -definitely- surreal. Behold the art of Kirsten Brown, owner of the Serpent and Angel store: a house of horrors and nightmares. It's weird rooms present a mosaic of fear and desperation (plus a well-placed H.P.Lovecraft reference) in a great composition.
Does the stairway lead to an exit from this doomed place? I'm not sure. All I can say is that this is a seriously compelling poster. It reminds me of the classic Clive Barker words about everyone being a book of blood.

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Strange little cards

Strange Little Girl #246 by MizBella
See more Art Cards

There is this peculiar feeling, this strange combination of weirdness and nostalgia, that can only be conveyed by designs that use retro in a certain, personal way. Designs such as this great one by MizBella, a true master of vintage surrealism.
Collage and mixed media are just labels to describe this artist's tools. What she does with these tools is the important thing. Well, what does she do?

Hush by MizBella
View other Dirty roses Postcards

She takes images from the past (I love her silent movie references! - Theda Bara, anyone?) and combines them so they provoke a rich, enchanting and unsettling mood. She creates surreality out of stuff that others would see only as picturesque (in the expected ways often found in goth culture).
I do like those cards, but there are plenty other products -and many great designs- to chose from.

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I put a Screamin' Jay on you

Here is a true master of the grotesque, the Pope of Weird Rock 'n' Roll , Screamin' Jay Hawkins, in a great performance of his classic I put a spell on you. Wild, crazy, surreal, the kind of showmanship that put dark theatrics, black humor and voodoo extravaganza in the map of modern music. His influence is crucial in artists as diverse as Alice Cooper, Marylin Manson, Black Sabbath, The Fuzztones and Dread Zeppelin.It so happens that all this comes to serve a strong backbone of great music and of songs that stood the test of time.

[Also, if you liked this you'd be more than happy to check a splendid cover version from Shane McGowan and his talented friends, recorded for Haiti's aid.]

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Moody

Unreality Show by pasevin
View more Unreal Posters

This print is moody, personal, surreal and utterly beautiful. It gives a dreamlike, menacing feeling in such a richly textured and detailed way, that you just have to admire. The artist is Aleksandr Pasevin, whose Pasevin store is small but really interesting.. His work consists of mixed media and photomanipulations, although you can see a wider variety of styles (all well-executed and eye-catching) in his great portfolio site.

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Black business

devilbusinessman by babydollboutique
Make personalized shirts using zazzle.com

This creepy design takes us to dark territories again.A stylized demonic entity dressed like a businessman can be an otherworldly figure, the quintessential Man in Black (not the lovable movie characters). Then again, it could be just an ordinary corporate nightmare -and I can't decide what is worse!
What's more unsettling than the wings is the wide smile on this ominous fellow's face. Kudos to Babydoll Chic for this t-shirt, guaranteed to satisfy all the weird-minded people like me! This store's products stay focused on the strange, pulp and retro side of life, which is fine in my book, especially when there's lots of dark humor involved.

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Twisted Celt

Ctheltic Cthulhu Greeting Card by Ars_Celtica
Browse more Cthulhu Cards

You can't go wrong with this guy! Do you remember Bradley W.Schenck, the fabulous artist who gave us Retropolis Travel? I wrote about him sometime ago and I feel obliged to do it again, this time regarding his outstanding work in the intricate celtic tradition -always with a touch of his great humor.
I'm drooling over this superb Cthulhu design. A really unique blend of Great Old Ones imagery and Celtic knotwork that would leave H.P.L. himself at a loss for words!
In his gallery, Ars Celtica, traditional, mythical and modern elements are combined to give pieces of beautiful perplexity, such as this one:

Knotwork Sun Face Magnet by Ars_Celtica
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Bradley, a true master of his art, began exploring Celtic-influenced art back in the '80s. Lucky for us, he has never stopped streching this side of his talent ever since. My personal all-time favorite? If I should chose just one it would be this discreetly ominous mug:

Amazing Nyarlathotep Mug by Ars_Celtica
Make custom travel mugs with zazzle.com

A vintage theater poster of Nyarlathotep (the Older God who used dark charisma to propagate owe and chaos in our mortal societies). Inspired by the true origins of this demonic entity as formed in Lovecraft's own dreams: the ultimate sinister showman. Details such as the "Pickman Theatre" and the "Shining trapezohedron" gain my absolute respect!
[More exquisite B.W. Schenck in the Webomator]

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